Goodguys Lone Star Nationals

It had been way too long since I had the opportunity to head over to the Goodguys Lone Star Nationals at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth and boy have I been missing out! Even though the weather ended up a mix of clouds with cold, warm, and sunny, it sure didn't discourage the huge crowd of both participants and spectators from enjoying big weekend of fun.

I have to admit, I was amazed at the huge amount of cool classic pickups in attendance. Sure, I knew that, being truck country, Texas classic truckers would show up in force, but there were high-caliber pickups everywhere I looked. I have to say, you guys made me proud to be counted among you as a fellow classic trucker.

2/28

With so many remarkable classic trucks on hand it literally took me half a day just to make my first circuit around the infield because every row of cool hot rods and custom cars was joined by way more than a handful of classic pickups.

As is the case at all Goodguys events, above and beyond literally thousands of cool classic trucks, street rods, customs, and muscle cars there was plenty of other features on hand as well. From the countless vendor displays to the swap meet and car corral, the Goodguys did their usual best to provide everyone a great time through the whole weekend.

3/28The swap meet and car corral were chock full of classic truck parts as well as potential classic truck projects, both running and not.

Heck, they even invited Texas' own Richard Rawlings along with the crew from the Gas Monkey Garage. Rawlings and the crew mixed it up with fans throughout the day. The autocross action was hot and heavy right from the start of the event, and with Texas' autocross area being one of the largest of the year, the speeds were awesome and elapsed times low.

All in all it was a great weekend, as always – so let me shut my trap and let you enjoy these photos from a fantastic Goodguys weekend in the Lone Star State. Hope to see ya there later this season!

4/28I'm not sure what caught my eye more, its low-gloss red paint, perfect stance, or big diameter five-spokes. Whichever it was I'm sure glad I took a good close look at Mark Rowe's way-cool 1966 C10. Mark's cruiser is powered by a 350-cube small-block backed by a 700-R4 overdrive trans.

23/28Another of my favorite pickups at the show was Greg Hampton's 1965 Chevy C10. This classy cruiser is powered by an LS1 backed by a 4L60E overdrive automatic. Its white-over-silver two-tone paint, Billet Specialties wheels, and perfect stance are on the money.

Classic Trucks Finest Five 2013

24/28

Rodney Carter's Shady Shores, Texas-based 1971 Dodge D-100 ain't a trailer queen; it's more like a trailer king serving as an occasional tow vehicle for any of Rodney's fully restored Mopar muscle cars. The Dodge sports a surprisingly powerful 225-cube slant-six backed by a 727 automatic, and its beautifully restored cab (fitted with a 1968 D-100 hood) and bed ride on a quartet of polished Halibrands wrapped in wide whites. The D-100 is still fitted with its original bed wood, and a completely restored interior sporting a Classic Auto Sound stereo system that helps while away the freeway miles.

25/28

Lloyd Lang is a firm believer in going big or not going at all. And Mr. Lang sure went big with his arrow-straight 1963 Unibody. Above and beyond good looks, Lloyd's F-100 is chock full of engineering tricks like mating the complete front suspension from an 2004 Crown Vic with a 32-valve, 4.6-liter Lincoln V-8 backed by an AOD transmission. Not to be outdone, the rear of the customized frame received an equal amount of attention with the addition of a 1998 Lincoln Mark VIII independent rear suspension system. With a gorgeous exterior restoration, a chassis and suspension system that serves up a luxurious ride, and a modern driveline with plenty of horsepower, the crowning addition is a beautiful 1963 Ford Galaxie XL 500 interior that'll knock your socks off.

26/28

Poolville, Texas-classic trucker Cliff Beckner pulled out the stops when he built his blinding-yellow 1966 GMC. Cliff started out on the trucks foundation, installing a No Limit Engineering IFS setup with Wilwood discs. Out back he used a Currie 9-inch, No Limit four-bar coilover rear suspension, and RideTech air ride at all four corners. For motorvation Cliff chose a monstrous, balanced and blueprinted 455-cube Olds motor. With the chassis, suspension, and driveline handled Cliff turned his attention to the pickup's sheetmetal. The cab and bed were massaged back into shape and coated with a glass-smooth coating of bright yellow followed by a few licks of gold pearl ghost flames.

27/28

Now here's a nifty classic pickup. Gil Ragland built himself this way-cool Finest-Five pick, Ada, Oklahoma-based 1961 Studebaker Champ. Gil's awesome Stude is powered by a healthy 305-cube Chevy small-block backed by a TH350 trans. The Champ's fully upgraded chassis and suspension utilizes a Fatman Fabrications IFS system and four-wheel disc brakes. Body-wise Gil not only massaged the cab and bed back into pristine condition, he also added a bunch of custom touches as well. Up front there's a quartet of vintage Buick-style portholes in the hood and a pair of 1954 Merc headlight assemblies Frenched into the fenders too. The cargo bed features a beautiful maple bed floor, and the whole rear section of the bed was sliced and tilted forward a full 3 inches before being fitted with a pair of custom LED taillight assemblies.

28/28

When builder/fabricator Wrangler Hammond decided to build himself a cool classic pickup he knew from the start that he wanted to end up with a rocker-panel-grinding hot rod built in the traditional style. And the talented young Mr. Hammond hit the nail on the head by revamping his old high school commuter. With a bunch of neat ideas and a good-sized helping of elbow grease he transformed his battered old work truck into this shaved, slammed 1964 C10. The Chevy is powered by a hot little vintage 283 backed by a four-speed stick, and a set of 20-inch steelies wrapped in skinny whites fill the wheel openings whenever the air is bled from its quartet of bags (via an artful tangle of copper hardline). Wrangler's shop truck is destined to serve him well, just as it has every day since high school.